A woman wearing a face mask as a protection against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) walks in the Villa 31 slum, in Buenos Aires, Argentina May 5, 2020. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina’s confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus topped 5,000 on Tuesday, according to a daily health ministry report, though they remain far below the level of large neighboring countries Chile, Brazil and Peru.

The health ministry said confirmed cases of COVID-19 infections rose by 134 to 5,020, while fatalities climbed to 264 versus 260 in the evening report on Monday. Nearby Peru recorded a far higher 50,000 confirmed cases earlier on Tuesday.